


Passing The Way

by Nope



Category: Doctor Who
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-02
Updated: 2006-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:21:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25766632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nope/pseuds/Nope
Summary: Every end is a new beginning.
Kudos: 1





	Passing The Way

For a moment, she will see the whole of existence, what was, what could be. After that, everything's easy.

#

"What is this?" Martha asked, floating in light and song like some exultant sea.

"Bad wolf rising," Rose says. "Forwards. Backwards. It's all the same."

"Did I fall asleep in the library again? Caffeine pills are great for studying, right up until you crash." Martha frowned. "Well, that and the damage to your liver and veins and brain and why am I talking about this?"

"It's the vortex," Rose says.

"Oh." Martha floated, falling, rising. "Did I die?"

"You, me, him." Rose shrugs. "Or we haven't even been born yet. You're the future. The past. Listen, space, time? When you have the TARDIS, those things don't matter. You can watch the end of the world and jump back millions of years and eat chips. It's important to remember it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't?"

"No."

"What does?" Martha asked.

"Family," Rose says. "Not just flesh and blood. You've got to make him family, yeah? You've got to make yourself part of his life. You can't let him be alone."

"Who?"

"My Doctor," says Rose, says the TARDIS, says the Vortex. "Our Doctor."

"What, like, Stegman?" Martha asked. "Because he's cute and all, but he's a bit of a bore, I don't think--"

Rose laughs. "Nah. Not those doctors. Look, you wanna save lives?"

"Yes!"

"Hundreds? Thousands? Entire worlds?"

"Entire worlds?" Martha shivered. "I don't think I want that kind of responsibility, thanks."

"Good," Rose says. "If you wanted it, I couldn't let you have it. But you'll be great, I know you will. You'll mock his jokes and his stupid glasses but you'll do what has to be done. And you'll hold his hand when you run. That's important too. The hand-holding. And pack lots of underwear, let me tell you, there is nothing worse than being on the run from Cybermen and knowing you've been wearing the same knickers for two universes in a row."

"Knickers and hand holding, right. And this is important? Is there going to be a test? I haven't studied!"

"There'll be tests," Rose says. "You'll fail a few. I did. But you'll get there in the end. See, the monsters and the screaming and the running and the dying? They're worth it. He's worth it. It's like--It's like we were living in a box, yeah? And we couldn't see it. Not until he shows it to us, four walls around us. But it's okay. Because he'll make you look and there's no ceiling. You can go up forever."

"This is all a bit too metaphorical for me," Martha complained. "There's a box that's bigger than a box?"

Rose laughs. "Oh, god, is it bigger. Seriously it is HUGE."

"Please tell me this isn't a phallic metaphor." Martha considered this. "No, wait, tell me it is."

Rose laughs some more. "You're going to brilliant, Martha Jones, I just know it. He'll love you. And that's good, because he'll always love me, just like he loves all of us, but we won't be there. Not Jamie, not Sarah Jane, not Adric or Peri or Tegan, not any of us. Just you. But you know what? You'll be fantastic."

"I will?" Martha asked, confused but somehow pleased.

"Yeah," Rose says, and grabs the lapels of Martha's jacket, tugging her closer in the golden glow. "And you know what else?"

Martha started to ask what but, instead, found Rose's lips pressed against hers, felt her own open against that softness, that hardness, that insistent tongue, that sudden rush of fire under her skin, heat flush in her cheeks and her belly, making her different, chosen, marked for destiny. She gasps for breath.

"So was I," Rose said, and everything was light.

#

Martha wakes. She touches her fingers to her still tingling lips, but the dream's gone, whatever it was. It's still dark out, but she feels wired. Too much caffeine maybe. Except that wasn't what woke her, was it? It was that noise. Some distant, almost familiar, groaning. She gets dressed, goes jogging around campus while the streets are empty. It's a nice night. She zones out once she hits her stride--so she totally fails to notice that there's a large blue box in the side alley, the streets aren't entirely empty, and the day that's just beginning is going to be more adventure than she can possibly imagine.

#

In her flat in Torchwood tower, Rose rolled over and snored. All things considered, it wasn't a bad life.


End file.
